by Kevin Bliss
An outbreak of COVID-19 began September 29, 2020, at the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) in Fairfax County, Virginia, with eight staff and six juveniles testing positive over the next 10 days for the novel coronavirus that causes the disease. It was the worst outbreak in …
by Kevin Bliss
Claire Bodkin, Matthew Bonn and Sheila Wildeman wrote an article in March 2020 for The Conversation addressing the need for more comprehensive opioid testing and treatment programs in Canada’s prisons and jails. The crisis has killed 14,000 Canadians since 2016.
They point out that …
by Kevin Bliss
Lockdowns instituted because of the coronavirus pandemic have had a benefit for Scottish prisoners. The Scottish Prison Services (SPS) spent over 160,000 pounds on mobile phones for prisoners to stay in touch with their families.
The SPS introduced mobile phones into its prison system …
by Kevin Bliss
An analysis published on October 26, 2020 by Reuters showed U.S. jails that contracted with private health care companies had higher death rates on average among prisoners and detainees than those with government-run health-care programs. Reuters reviewed over 500 jails and found that of the …
by Kevin Bliss
Christopher Hampton and Cortney Rolley, represented by Eric Artrip of Mastando & Artrip, LLC, filed a class-action suit against a group of guards at Elmore Correctional Facility (ECF) located near Montgomery, Alabama. They say the guards, who accused them of trying to obtain contraband during …
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson agreed to commute Willie Mae Harris’ sentence after 34 years in prison for accidentally shooting her abusive husband. She was released on June 5, 2020.
Harris, 72, from Bradley, Arkansas was charged with murder in 1985 after an argument with then-husband Clyde. She tried …
by Kevin Bliss
The University of Florida (UF) released a statement June 18, 2020 in response to a letter written by the Coalition to Abolish Prison Slavery (CAPS). The statement included initiatives addressing racism and inequality on the campus as well as agriculture prison labor operations.
Florida …
by Kevin Bliss
Former prisoners gave testimony at a July 1, 2020, hearing at the Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics, founded by Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. Speakers included six ex-prisoners of Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, New …
by Kevin Bliss
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3228 (AB 3228) September 27, 2020, allowing U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) detainees to sue private detention facility contractors for alleged abuses of civil rights and violations of standard of care. The bill takes effect January 1, …
by Kevin Bliss
Daniel Ocasio committed suicide on August 12, 2020 at the Corrigan-Radkowski Correctional Center in Uncasville, Connecticut by tying the strings of his protective mask around his throat.
His death made national news because it is the third suicide this year within the Connecticut Department …
